just when you thought it was safe to vacation
Stay out of the hotel pool, the CDC warns
The sun is shining, summer is approaching, and the CDC has rolled out a report about disease-causing parasites lurking in hotel pools.
Germs in treated water led to more than 27,000 illnesses and eight deaths in the U.S. from 2000 to 2014, the CDC reported Thursday. Of the 493 disease outbreaks, nearly one-third could be tied to hotel pools. Hot tubs and public splash pads weren't innocent either.
A vast majority of disease outbreaks stemmed from the chlorine-resistant Cryptosporidium, which leads to gastrointestinal illness (read: diarrhea). Other common germs caused severe pneumonia and rashes. A majority of the infections happened between June and August.
If that wasn't scary enough, all these numbers come from the CDC's frighteningly named Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
But never fear! The report does offer some delightfully illustrated advice for avoiding disease:
Sorry for ruining your summer.